Dispute
WED. 5 OCTOBER: Mercury issues a writ on the POEU and the general secretary, Brian Stanley under the government's employment legislation, seeking to force the union to abandon its industrial action against the private telecoms company and ILs DacKcIs.
THUR. 6 OCTOBER:
changes, work to rule.
Others are from Central London and Aberdeen for boycotting Wireless and British Petroleum.
SAT. 8 OCTOBER: Senior BT management take control of the three international exchanges shortly after midnight.
In a military style operation involving police and private security personnel, they évict the night shift.
Workers reporting on the day shift are turned away. 1600 are locked out as lower management are locked in and begin to clear faults which, with the work to rule, have taken 50 per cent of international circuits out of action.
MON. 10 OCTOBER: engineers refuse to attend management meetings or sign a declaration of good behaviour and stay locked out.
POEU boycotts faults on lines into the international exchange. A further 850 engineers working on fitting and maintenance duties in Central London are suspended for refusing to carry out work boycotted by the union, or refusing to sign commitments to 'work as directed' Mercury's injunction against the union is adjourned at the High Several hundred POEU engineers picket BT's Gresham Street Headquarters in protest at the acBT suspends about 50 30 at one of the three international exwhere the union has been operating a Mercury's Cable The 1600 Court for one week. WITH THE 9 June election victory under her belt, Thatcher is moving to piratise public services and throw them to the profit sharks.
Hospital facilities, steel, rail, gas and even the coal industry are up for treatment.
industrial action to telecommunications network. They are being dragged through the courts, under Tebbit's anti-union laws for their boycott of the private company Mercury.
would give a boost to the Telecom engineers and deliver Thatcher a bloody nose on privatisation and anti-union legislation.
worker and all of us who depend on public services and want to defend our unions.
tative for the London North Central internal branch of the POEU and was suspended by BT management for industrial action on 10 October. She explains the issues.
The present industrial action of the POEU is a powertul signal to unite the in a struggle against Up to now the selective action has the full backing of the Marcella Fitzgerald membership, but the hostile acts of BT management, and the first serious legal threat to the unions Under the 1982 Employment rel, mcan tnal a national trade paign must be launched.
The POEU leadership has to make an appeal for full industrial and financial backing. We are in the 'tront the Tories' privatisation plans local government services, British Telecom engineers have taken selective oppose privatisation of the Solidarity from the whole labour movement A victory for the telecom workers would be a vicfor every miner, rail, steel, gas and hospital MARCELLA FITZGERALD is the represenand they will not comoronse.
Their action politically motivated and that's how we' ve got to see Ou COUTISC else can we fight for a public service against private profit without fightback? ment. National strike action to defend the union will be necessary and now NOT meeting with CULS sharp opposition. MIELEPHONES!
But to do this, it has to demonstrate members, to the
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• STUFT PRNATISATION